Windows Live Academic
Microsoft has developed some competition for Google Scholar: Windows Live Academic. Currently in beta, this service only covers physics, engineering and computer science. In my opinion, it is a better service than Google Scholar, but still does not meet the needs of those doing very comprehensive research.
However, the advantages are on target. A split screen allows the user to scroll through the results list on the left side, mouse over an interesting article, and preview that article in the right side of the screen. This prevents a lot of "linking out" of the results list. Also, there is the option to create RSS feeds for specific topics or authors, so you can be alerted when a new item comes online.
Reviews on the product are available here, here, and here.
Below, some of the explanatory text on the Windows Live Academic home page:
What is Windows Live Academic?Windows Live Academic is a new addition to the Windows Live Search family of services that allows users to search through academic information. Currently, users can search content in academic journals in the fields of Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, and Physics. We will be adding more subject areas in the near future, based on user feedback and demand.
What content do you have in your index right now?
Academic search beta, as of launch date, has deep content in three fields: Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, and Physics - with more than 6 million records from approximately 4300 journals and 2000 conferences.
Why don't you have content from all fields?
Academic search has launched in a beta version so we can receive feedback from our users - ultimately allowing us to introduce a product that will provide the best possible user experience. We understand that for researchers to have a productive search experience, they need to search a comprehensive index in their field of study. Therefore, we decided to launch our beta version with journal content from Computer Science, Engineering (mostly electrical and electronics), and a good selection of Physics journals. We believe that ourdeep index in these chosen fields will serve the needs of our users well, so they can give us the feedback we need to improve the search experience. After launch, we will add content in phases from more subject areas. Our goal is to have the most comprehensive, largest academic index possible.
This looks like something that students will start using, just like Google Scholar, whether it offers quality information or not. It's always best to be aware of what is available so that we know how students use resources, so take a look.